Rite of Passage: New Bikes
May 18, 2009
The tiny princess bike might met an unfortunate end. I think someone, who isn’t me, ran it over in the driveway. The tire is all bent and flat.
So late Saturday night I found myself at the store buying two new bicycles. One for my daughter who needed a larger bike so she could keep up with her friends without pedaling her legs five times for every one of theirs. When your knees are hitting your handle bars it is time.
I brought her home a purple and pink bike and also got her a basket for the front that has the Disney Princesses on it. She is able to conveniently keep her cigarettes and handgun in there.
Not sure how many more years (months?) the Princesses will be cool. She already told me that she wished I had bought her the Hannah Montana bike. No. Just no. I do have some standards, however much the line may blow in the breeze with inconsistency.
I brought Miles home this bike:
Isn’t it cute and free of licensed characters?
Wait, what is that the box says?
No brakes?
Surely that is not what Huffy means. It must mean something else. Right?
Why on earth would there be a bike with no brakes? How would you stop? How would you STOP, Huffy?
Of course I did not read the box before I bought the bike. I got home took the bike pieces out of the box and saw a huge sticker on the bike frame that said NO BRAKES. Even then I was in denial, thinking that it meant I had to INSTALL the brakes. Brakes that would surely be contained IN THE BOX.
Uh, no. I got out the instruction manual where I read that this bike does not have brakes. And it should be used with CAUTION. You think??? Maybe the box should say this bike is for children you don’t like: just add steep hills and traffic…
I stuck it back into the box while Miles cried that he could just stop by dragging his feet. But I thought that sounded a little dangerous, what with all the broken glass, hypodermic needles, and cobras littering the street. (No, I will never let it die. It makes me laugh too much.) There may have been swearing. Some of it by me.
I assured him that we would go back to the store first thing Sunday morning, right after breakfast.
7:00am Sunday morning I hear his bedroom door fling open. He comes running down the hall, down the stairs, before shouting, “I want my breakfast right now!”
We brought home a new bike. The Gravel Blaster.
This one has brakes.
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Good heads up to bike buyers. What in the ?@##%$^ is Huffy thinking?
May 18th, 2009 at 11:53 amReally? A bike with no brakes. How insane.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:59 amThat Texas sun is turning your brood brown!
May 18th, 2009 at 12:03 pmNO brakes…WTF?
seriously!
and they both are as cute as EVER
xoxo
May 18th, 2009 at 12:05 pmronee
Please don’t get mad at my asking this, but do they have helmets? I grew up before they were required, but my younger brother had to have one and it is a good thing he did, because he flipped his bike more than once.
A bike with no brakes?! That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard — who came up with that one?
Chris says: Yes, they do have helmets. I just love to get the internet all riled up.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pmI am dying to know why Huffy would make a bike with out breaks? what in the world would be the reasoning behind it.
Lucky little guys and their shiny new bikes!
How many comments before someone bitches about them not wearing helmets?
May 18th, 2009 at 12:10 pmGo Miles Go
The Disney Princesses basket can come off when it is not so cool anymore. my daughter always loved a basket.
Happy Trails
May 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pmTo go from NO brakes to the gravel laster - too funny! - So ~ I know I gotta be reading your blog!
They have no brake bikes where I currently live for toddlers - so the kids will be ready to ride REAL bikes by the age of four! I have no idea how you capture Miles in that picture, I try every setting and can’t get a good picture of my kids in motion - which means I have no pictures! Heh
Your little Princess looks like an Indian Princess - she is so tan! I know I have likely pissed someone off with that comment!
May 18th, 2009 at 12:27 pmBLASTER! (what is it with me and this ******* keyboard!?)
May 18th, 2009 at 12:27 pmWhy in the world would Huffy make a bike without brakes? That is absurd!
May 18th, 2009 at 12:29 pmMy first 2 wheel bike didn’t have brakes (Racey Rabbit, if you must know) and I did fine on it, except that I just thought bikes didn’t have brakes and I didn’t go too fast on it and when I graduated up to a bigger bike and was going faster, I needed brakes (and had them) but didn’t know about the peddling backwards for brakes deal…so I decided to hit a brick wall in order to stop. And it worked…I still have the scar!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t want licensed characters on everything my kid owns.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:30 pmThose photos are phenomenal.
I asked my hubs once about the “no brakes” thing and if I recall correctly, it’s for if you’re dirtbiking or something, on a trail. I guess if you accidentally hit the brakes you could really hurt yourself. Um, at least that’s what I think he said, even though it doesn’t make 100% sense.
????
May 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pmOkay. Really? Is there a market for break-less bikes? That is so odd. But The Gravel Blaster sounds really cool. And I’m sure my daughters would be completely envious of the Princess basket.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:50 pmI am stunned!!! There really are people, companies or who the heck knows, who are THAT STUPID to actually make a bike with NO BRAKES. WHO thought that one up!!! Truly, I am stunned!!! I can see GM’s new ad campaign. Brakes Not Included!!
May 18th, 2009 at 12:55 pmhow did you get the last shot? what were your camera settings? please share!
Chris says: Gosh, I really have NO IDEA. I shoot everything on auto, that is how clueless I am.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:02 pmWait, *he* was the one crying? Did you explain to him that the only person who got to cry was the one who had to drive all the way back to the store and wrestle with the Customer Service staff?
May 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pmHah that is hilarious. I noticed that on the first picture and I thought hmmmm…. strange choice for a child’s toy.
A lot of people do actually ride these bikes and you stop manually by coasting until you can put your feet down (for planned stops) or using your feet on the back tire/power sliding (for quick stops). Still— 3 and up? Really? Someone should tell bike designers that if a bike is made for people who may still need training wheels, they almost certainly need BRAKES.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pmCool bikes but still no helmets
May 18th, 2009 at 1:21 pmYou forgot the helmets! They look even cuter with their gigantic helmets.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pmBrakes = much better!
May 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pmNo brakes? Should we all e-mail Huffy now? I thought brakes were a fundamental part of a bike. Silly me.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:37 pmI think the brake-less bikes are called “run bikes,” and they’re (usually) for toddlers, to help them learn to balance. The idea is that they push with their feet, eventually just fast enough to coast a little, and stopping with their feet. Not being dependent on training wheels helps them learn to ride a “real” bike later — no false security from riding a glorified tricycle. But for ages 4 and up? Really? That’s nutso.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:48 pmI’m don’t know what confuses me more. The fact that they make a bike with NO BRAKES or they make it small enought for a damn 3 year old…SERIOUSLY!?
May 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pmI can’t even begin to imagine what kind of logic (or lack thereof) was used to create a children’s bike - ANY bike! - without brakes. I also can’t understand why anyone would intentionally use one. I’m glad you noticed before he took off riding down that wild and crazy dangerous road of yours.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:02 pmMy twin girls are almost 7. Prior to starting first grade this year they each picked out a new Disney Princess lunch box. After the first week of first grade, princesses were no longer cool. They have been complaining about those lunch boxes since September… (and have already picked out their thankfully licensed character-free ones from LL Bean for second grade).
May 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pmWha?!?!? You shoot everything on auto! You would never know it from your photos. I also have a Nikon but am just curious which lens you regularly use, the kit lens?
I feel so bad for you! My husband is a life-long cyclist/commuter/bike mechanic (we both worked in a bike shop together long ago) and he confirmed for me that “no brakes” means no HAND brakes. It will still have a coaster brake. Otherwise it would have a free-wheel set up (gears.) So yes there are brakes, Huffy just means no hand brakes. Ugh!! How frustrating.
Btw, my husband broke his neck (literally, C2 verterbrae like Chris Reeve) and the helmet saved his life and I still did not bat an eye at your helmetless children photos, the internet blows sometimes with the preachy.
Chris says: No the Huffy bike actually has NO BRAKES AT ALL. Which, is craziness.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:21 pmYou could appease your daughter by getting her a Hannah Montana helmet. Get one for Miles too while you’re at it. Wouldn’t want him to be upset that his sister got one and he didn’t…
May 18th, 2009 at 2:44 pmThe latest and greatest is tiny bikes with no brakes or pedals for the 2-5 crowd. Kids learn to balance and to put their feet down to stop before moving on to regular bikes. They are very popular in my Texas neighborhood, my four year old has one but right now he still prefers his trike (with pedals and a brake!)
May 18th, 2009 at 2:46 pmWe bought a bike for our 3y/o this year and I was astounded by the number of kiddie bikes WITHOUT BRAKES!!! I still can’t believe that so many didn’t have brakes.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:57 pmYeah, I purposely took the brakes off my kids bike.
WTH?!?!?! Seriously, I didn’t know they could sell bikes like that and it could certainly be a little bigger on the box….direct drive would mean nothing to me!
May 18th, 2009 at 3:18 pmYou have adorable kids….they could be little models….and btw, I know kids should wear helmets….but Im 46 years old, we didnt wear them, didnt even know about them and we survived….just sayin…
May 18th, 2009 at 3:44 pmWhy on earth would they make a bike with no brakes. Glad you got him one that he can stop on.
May 18th, 2009 at 3:45 pmYour kids are adorable!
May 18th, 2009 at 3:47 pmNo-brake bikes are for little kids still learning to ride, so they can learn to coast and pedal. They are relatively heavy and it’s hard for little people to get them going very fast, plus these are kids who can’t ride yet so (in theory) someone is close by. Kids can learn to balance and brake with their feet. Some also come without pedals…
That said, Miles just skipped a bike step…and was ready for a bigger-boy bike!
May 18th, 2009 at 3:53 pmNo brakes? For real? Huffy is insane!
May 18th, 2009 at 3:53 pmThe last picture of Miles is great. You get that by panning in the direction he is moving. I have trouble getting it right though, and it worked for you perfectly!
May 18th, 2009 at 3:54 pmNice bikes!
The no brakes isn’t what you think. It’s like a trike, if you peddle, you are moving, if you stop peddling you aren’t. So unless they take their feet off the peddles, they are stopped. My youngest son had that bike, it lasted a whopping year. Good call on taking it back. Although it was a good step up from the trike, not good once they drop the training wheels.
May 18th, 2009 at 3:56 pmThey know its crazy not to have brakes on a little kids bike, which is why they put the “no brakes” information all over the place so it would have time to sink in. So, why didn’t they just put brakes on the thing?
May 18th, 2009 at 4:05 pmDirect-drive bikes are like tricycles. No brakes, but pedaling backward makes them go backward. And going downhill makes the pedals spin like crazy. Not a good idea for any kid beyond slow, flat driveway riding.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:30 pmEvery girl needs a convenient spot for her handgun and cigs. Love it!
May 18th, 2009 at 4:32 pmWe had a gravel blaster! It was the most beloved, favorite bike of all the cousins. Horrible when they were all around –
May 18th, 2009 at 5:06 pmWell, to be fair now…bikes with no brakes are stunt bikes, like those insane guys who do flips up ramps on bikes? X Games kind of stuff. But I haven’t seen one for ages 3+, they usually come in bigger sizes.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pmDH says no brakes means stunt bike…can’t pedal backwards if you have pedal brakes. He was a little shocked that it had no hand brake, tho.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:16 pmStunt bike–no brakes. Just an FYI. A lot of the people who put together the kid bikes are paid per bike they assemble so make sure everything is screwed down tightly.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:27 pmI have to say this! My kids grew up in an era with NO helmets. So did I. I have managed to make it to 72 and even though I have a bike, a very pretty Electra Townie (pink with white fenders)I still have no helmet. I haven’t been riding it lately. The last time we traveled a wheel got left, it is in Austin waiting for us. Chris, if you see it, roll it my way, please.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:34 pmFolks, enough with reminding her about the helmets. She knows.
Suggestion: If your daughter decides that the Disney princesses is too wimpy for her, give her a pint of tequila to carry in the basket alongside the cigarettes and handgun.
Her bike is lovely, as is she. And Miles looks like the luckiest boy in the world.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:55 pmQuite an unnecessary risk for your kids just to rile up the internet…
– Non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders
– The typical bicycle crash with a motor vehicle occurs within one mile of the bicyclist’s home
– More than 40 percent of all bicycle-related deaths due to head injuries and approximately three-fourths of all bicycle-related head injuries occur among children ages 14 and under
Source: http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?folder_id=540&content_item_id=1010
A motto from another form of 2 wheeled transportation… All The Gear All The Time.
Chris says: Also from the site, 27.7 million children under the age of 14 ride bicycles. 134 died last year. And while 134 is still tragic I think it is important to keep the danger in perspective. My children are not riding in traffic. They aren’t doing stunts. They are riding around a cul-de-sac.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:46 pmBikes with no brakes would be perfect for a helmet-less, barefoot, no sunscreen wearing little boy who is also allowed outside *gasp!!* when the street lights are on!
May 18th, 2009 at 8:05 pmI love that its call the “Gravel Blaster” Made me chuckle
May 18th, 2009 at 8:24 pmHelmets please Isn’t it a law in Texas?
May 18th, 2009 at 9:21 pmmy 4 year old is riding a bike from a friend, we found out it had no breaks as he headed on a downhill slope, screaming, I couldn’t beleive it and he has since upgraded.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:34 pmI didn’t know they made bikes without brakes.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:44 pmWill someone in your family teach me how to ride a bike? Or better yet, teach my kids, since well, by this point, I guess I’m a lost cycling cause.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:46 pmHey - my son’s bike is a Gravel Blaster! Bought it last year when he just turned 3, because he refused to ride the trike. It still has the training wheels on. Hopefully, we’ll be able to take them off later this summer. It will be funny if he ends up learning to ride a bike earlier than his big sister (who’s 12 and STILL doesn’t know how to ride a bike without training wheels - she has JUST this past month, expressed interest in learning. Prior to that, she adamantly refused to learn.)
May 18th, 2009 at 10:03 pmChris says: Also from the site, 27.7 million children under the age of 14 ride bicycles. 134 died last year. And while 134 is still tragic I think it is important to keep the danger in perspective. My children are not riding in traffic. They aren’t doing stunts. They are riding around a cul-de-sac.
but how many are brain damaged? many more than that. there are worse things than death…
May 18th, 2009 at 11:36 pmSo cute. Now, if this breakfast thing really works, I should buy a new bike for my son everyday!
May 19th, 2009 at 12:29 amHelmet police are on the loose again- watch out.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:39 amHmm, I don’t think that I’ve ever seen any local children around my area wearing helmets. Infact, in my entire 35 years I’ve never known one single local child experience a shocking accident while not wearing an helmet when they were bike riding. Although I do remember a child being hit and killed by a car outside of her school gates.
Strange really, I didn’t look at Chris’s post and think about their lack of helmets at all.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:50 amI should clarify that she was hit while walking across the road, not riding a bike.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:09 amThe interweb is riled up!
May 19th, 2009 at 2:31 amLet it rest, people.
I’ll never forget when my husband’s niece was 2 and my son was almost 1, we drove up to their house and she had on a helmet while riding her tricycle on the driveway. The image still cracks me up.
While I too am bugged by the lack of helmets (we’ve had two non-bike related head injuries leading to clear CT scans in our house in the past 12 mos…) you’re the mom and it’s none of my business… What really made my day was this line:
I do have some standards, however much the line may blow in the breeze with inconsistency.
Oh - that is so me - thanks!
May 19th, 2009 at 9:18 amNew bikes are fun! The pictures are great, and your kids are, as always, gorgeous. I’ll make you feel better by letting you know that it is still in the 50s up here some days UGH. I am jealous of those tans.
I am really not getting the whole no-brakes thing. A stunt bike? Really? for a 3 yo? It doesn’t look like a 2 wheeled version of a tricycle, because it has pedals with a chain. But it doesn’t even brake when you pedal backwards? That’s just stupid.
As for the helmets, my kids all have helmets, and wear them whenever they go on the road. We have a decent size driveway, and I am not as strict about it there, especially for the younger ones. They can’t go fast enough to get a concussion falling off in the driveway. I really didn’t think anything of your kids with no helmets.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:29 amIn-the-know bike enthusiasts? - what is the point of making a bike for three year olds and up without brakes? Isn’t learning to steer, brake and control your ride as important as learning to balance and pedal? Tell me - WHY? NO? BRAKES? How often do three year olds go mountain biking and who would install hand brakes on a bike like that -anyway thereby creating the hazard of flipping over the handle bars?
Are we teaching them that speed is of the utmost importance 13 years before they get behind the wheel of a veritable weapon? Use of helmets are the law in many states - so is NOT driving drunk, NOT driving while holding your cell phone to your ear, NOT texting while driving, NOT speeding, etc … and yet it is adults that do THOSE THINGS on a regular basis. So - we want them to follow the law - but we don’t have to? For their safety you say? BAH! If we aren’t driving drunk, talking on the phone or texting, we’ll be paying attention and see the kid on the bike and maybe not him/her!!!!!
Helmets are important - helmets aren’t cool - helmets are important - helmets aren’t cool. Can you see my dilemma here? Cul-de-sacs are COOOOOOOOOL! and so are the new bikes for the kids!
May 19th, 2009 at 9:45 amHere is a link to a great article called “Live dangerously, it’s safer”- in a nutshell is says that taking too many precautions makes one less careful therefore more prone to accidents. I really enjoyed reading it!
May 19th, 2009 at 9:48 amhttp://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article4418620.ece
When I was a kid, we rode our bikes on gravel, down hills, etc. No helmets. We were all fine.
I know that kids should wear helmets but I don’t force it on my 9 year old. I’m more worried about his head when he is on his skateboard than I am when he is on his bike.
Of course, kids can have other types of accidents on bikes that don’t involve head injuries. My son almost impaled himself in the stomach with his handlebars this past weekend. Should I start making him wear full body armor so that doesn’t happen?
May 19th, 2009 at 10:22 amChris, you rock, and my kids don’t use their helmets all the time either, and I like the name of the article ‘Live dangerously, it’s safer’ even if I don’t have time to read it and I am sure the cobras are actually quite cute pets.
It’s both amusing and annoying to watch ‘the internet’ erupt about something stupid like this, it is clear that those people do not have much else to worry about.
Anyway, off to run around for the rest of the day ^^
Karen
May 19th, 2009 at 10:44 amOh dearest Chris,
You really know how to rile up the internet. I love it.
Whatever happened to being a kid, carefree and fun? So many of us grew up in the age of no helmets, and rolling around in the back of our mom’s stationwagons (seatbelt? what seatbelt?). I lived, and so did ya’ll.
I guess I’m a horrible mom. My 16 year old has never worn a helmet riding her bike, and sometimes she rides her big, and I mean REALLY big horse without one.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:49 amOh dear lord. Can we get over the helmet thing yet?
They have helmets. They are Chris’ children. If she wants to make them wear helmets, she will.
Worry about your own kids’ helmets.
Sorry. Couldn’t let someone be wrong on the internet.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:56 pmCarol says:
I should clarify that she was hit while walking across the road, not riding a bike.
All the more reason to make helmets mandatory at all times of the day. Biking, walking, swimming, eating. You could never be too careful. I was loading the dishwasher the other day and banged my head on the counter. Had I been wearing a helmet I would have escaped unscathed. And those low hanging doorways, never again a problem.
May 19th, 2009 at 3:13 pmWe bought a brakeless bike for a 2 year old. By the time she could actually ride it, we switched to another bike. At that age, they’re moving way too slow to actually use brakes, and they’re also too young to understand how to use them.
May 20th, 2009 at 7:05 amWith all the bruhaha about the helmets, I’m surprised nobody has chastised Chris about letting the kids ride their bikes wearing crocs, shorts and tee shirts. One spill and those precious hands, knees and elbows will be all scraped up! Oh, and wearing gloves, leather jackets, denim jeans and boots that cover the ankles would also help prevent those dangerous tans they are getting… Sheesh!
May 20th, 2009 at 8:56 amI love Miles demand for breakfast.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:38 amok, I know why the bike has no brakes! These little bikes only go when you pedal them. No coasting, if the wheels are turning, so are the pedals. Once you stop pedaling the bike stops. My kids learned on these bikes. I’m glad you got Miles a different bike. I think he would get very frustrated if he was always having to pedal, plus, if he ever goes down a hill he won’t have to pedal, he’ll be able to coast.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:02 pmSeriously, Annie, you equate brain damage or death with a skinned knee? But Chris is right in looking at the numbers…only 134 kids actually died. And if, God forbid, one of hers became part of that statistic, she’d only be down about 15% of her brood. Oh, wait. That’s a awful thing to say…true, but awful. Kinda like discounting the lives of the 134 kids who do die or the thousands who suffer lasting effects.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pmA bike without brakes. REALLY?! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!
May 20th, 2009 at 2:09 pmI hate to wade into the “helmet debate” because I truly believe it is up to the parent to decide- but I feel the need to share out story.
Last summer my (then) 10yo son was riding his bike on the sidewalk outside our house, just ambling along chatting with a friend, then- wham. He has no idea what exactly happened (his friend thinks he hit a rock), but his brand new helmet was cracked down the front, and he had a mild concussion. After looking at my son’s test results and seeing the helmet, his doctor told us that if it hadn’t been for the helmet, she’d be surprised if ds would have survived without a serious brain injury. A freak accident, yes- but it does happen.
We are not crazy, over-protective parents, but we do insist on helmets for bikes and skateboards.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:08 pmAnat - I read that article -
May 21st, 2009 at 11:55 aminteresting and it kind of makes you wonder - if the cotton wool isn’t getting a little too think huh?
I am *jealous* of her tan. Seriously. She looks gorgeous. Looks as though TX agrees with y’all!
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:06 amWait, Kate said.. “only 134 kids actually died. And if, God forbid, one of hers became part of that statistic, she’d only be down about 15% of her brood.”
134 out of 27 million, right? That’s like.. 0.0005%? How is that 15% of her brood? I am so confused.
Chris says: Math is HARD…
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:01 amChris, you know I don’t care whether you put helmets on your kids or not- Obviously, we didn’t have them growing up and we all survived.
That said, I’m laughing a little at some of the comments because when I was eight, my mom would only let me ride my bike on a neighbor’s flat driveway– she thought the street was too hilly and dangerous. So I’m riding up and down the driveway one day and my wheel hit a rock and I was thrown off my bike, hit my head on the concrete, passed out, spent the night in the hospital, and was out of school two weeks with a major concussion and two HUGE black eyes!
True story.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:04 pmHi! Found your blog while googling the Gravel Blaster bike. Any tips on installing the handlebars??? I have the whole thing together except the handlebars, a nearly 4 year old carrying on that he wants to ride it, and no clue how to get them to go together.
Chris says: Um, sorry I don’t remember how it went together now, but I don’t think that I had any trouble
May 30th, 2009 at 5:51 pm